If you’re a cyclist in Canada, you’re in luck. The Canadian Automobile Association’s South Central Ontario branch is now offering roadside assistance for the cyclists among its 1.8 million motoring members. It’s yet another sign that many drivers also ride bikes and many cyclists have a driver’s license.
The program, Bike Assist,will offer on-the-spot repairs to cyclists anywhere in the organization’s coverage area. They’ll even transport the cyclist and wheels home. It does not include fixing flats, although that could happen in the future.
The association has also deployed its own Bike Squad to Toronto area charity and community events to assist with cars and bikes this summer. Equipped with a battery-powered pump, the squad will change a car tire if the driver has a spare and a jack.
About 72 percent of motorists in Toronto now use a bike at least once or twice a week, and a 2009 poll commissioned by the city shows that the number of cyclists earning $100,000 or more annually more than doubled, from about 13 percent in 1999 to 30 percent last year. The same survey shows that cyclists who bike for practical purposes, such as going to work or shopping, are more likely to be car owners now than they were 10 years ago.
Since the program launched in May, the CAA has responded to only six cyclists in need of roadside service.
[Via: The Star]
[Photo Via: tvol]
Right on! Can we expect to see this in the States anytime soon?